Author

Date Approved

Date Posted

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Women's and Gender Studies

Committee Member

Simoes Solange, PhD

Committee Member

Deanna H. Mihaly, PhD

Committee Member

Xianghong Feng, PhD

Abstract

Does the use of English as a universal language in the transnational feminist dialogue empower women globally? In what way does English shape the flow of conversation by circulating some feminist knowledge while neglecting others? Through conducting content analysis research on major feminist publications in both China and the US, this thesis probes the limitations of English as “Lingua Franca” through comparing authors, topics, and the use of references in the Collections of Women’s Studies (CWS), the most prestigious feminist journal in China, with Signs, one of the core feminist journals in the US. Through the comparison between these two journals, this thesis illustrates that English as a “Lingua Franca” of feminism fosters linguistic power relationships that result in an “international division of feminist labor,” one in which non-native English-speaking feminists are seriously constrained in having their theories travel the globe.

Recommended Citation

Han, Shuli, "Locating linguistic power relationships: A glimpse into transnational feminist dialogue through comparison of major feminist publications in the US and China (2000-2012)" (2013). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 538.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/538